COP-1 "Comet" cruise missile

On September 8, 1947 the USSR Council of Ministers Decree No. 3140-1028 was issued, according to which it was planned to create "Comet" anti-ship warplanes with a range of 100 km.

Special Bureau No. 1 (SB-1) was created specifically to work on guided missiles, subordinate to the Third Main Directorate under the USSR Council of Ministers.  P.N. Kukseenko was appointed Director of SC-1, and S.L. Beria was appointed Chief Engineer. In August 1951, SB-1 was renamed KB-1 of the Ministry of Armaments. The development of the missile part of this complex, which received the designation "Comet-3" (K-III) was initially entrusted to the Design Bureau-155 A.I. Mikoyan.  The Design Bureau-155, in parallel to the conventional aircraft, opened the subject of "B" for unmanned aerial vehicles under the leadership of M.I.Gurevich.  However, the Design Bureau-155 was extremely busy with the main "fighter" theme and, in order to establish the work on the projectile aircraft, the construction of the pilot series and the development of production, in accordance with the Decree of the USSR CM of September 1, 1951, these tasks were transferred to the Moscow Region plant number 1 in the city of Ivankovo (now Dubna). By the order of MAP there was organized a branch No.2 of OKB-155, the head of which was Y.I.Bereznyak.  Due to the significant novelty and importance of the Kometa task, unprecedented in scope research and testing were deployed (a solution that later on was quite significant for the success of the project, which became one of the most successful and reliable missile systems).  By May 1951, the Tupolev Design Bureau-156 presented modified for the carrier Tu-4KS (aircraft number 224203), equipped with a radar "Comet-2" in a lowering fairing and a pair of beam holders BD-KS under the wing.

The tests of the aircraft itself were preceded by the flights of its manned analogue - the product "K", equipped with a test pilot's cockpit with a minimum of aerobatics and navigation devices in place of the standard BC and retractable in the fuselage bike landing gear. The analogue was designed to assess the flight performance of the missile and tuning of on-board equipment, including the combat modes with the pointing at a real target. Using the "K" aircraft allowed to significantly reduce costs and time for development of the complex.

The first flight of the analogue was performed by test pilot Amet-Khan Sultan from the airfield of the Air Force Research Institute in Chkalovskaya January 4, 1951, then the tests were transferred to the Crimean air force range. In May, began air launches of the analogue aboard the Tu-4. In total, the tests involved four aircraft "K", on which Amet-Khan, S. Anokhin, F. Burtsev, V. Pavlov and P. Kazmin performed 150 flights. With the transition to the development of launches on a real target was brought to the guidance and control system "Kometa" - the analogue after the reset went to the target, like a combat rocket, and only at the end of the pilot turned off self-homing, took control and returned to the airfield. All flights went well, although the pilots themselves considered them extremely difficult. In one such flight, Amet-Khan's analogue snapped off the suspension with a non-operational engine, which could be launched only at the water itself, in the other - Burtsev did not turn off autopilot and he could hardly overpower the steering machines, barely managed to turn away from the ship-target. In flights, he managed to identify another problem - icing of the rocket engine, especially in flights over the sea, when the crust of frost in the combustion chamber made its launch impossible. The way out was to introduce electric heating of the engine on the suspension.

The first launch of the rocket, made over the Sea of Azov at Arabatskaya shooter in May 1952, the crew of Captain VA Nikolsky, ended in failure - because of an error with the installation of the steering wheel missile "failed", passing the radar beam, and fell into the sea. In the course of further tests the system was brought to work and measures were taken to improve the stabilization of the missile, which suffered from instability on the heels. In one of the launches, the rocket after leaving the suspension hit the propellers of the carrier, damaging two motors at once and broke the control thrust of another. The manned analogue did not have such a tendency, but it was not possible to catch the cause. Since the aerodynamic missile differed from the analogue only by the absence of the cockpit flashlight, it was decided to restore it, imitating a dural hood. In this form, the "Comet" even went into series, and only later the defect caused by the specifics of the boom wing, was finally eliminated by adjusting the autopilot.

State testing of the system was held from July 1952 to January 1953 with positive overall results, with a number of achieved results exceeded the set. In their course, of the 12 missiles launched 8 hit the target - a former Guards cruiser "Red Caucasus", which was taken to the sea and plied after the removal of the crew at Feodosia. Avoiding excessive damage to the target, the missiles were used without BC, but the two-ton "Comet" at a speed close to the sound and without a charge broke through the ship's board, leaving holes of 5-10m2. Usually after the impact there was a big round hole from the rocket body and a couple of small holes from the wing cargoes, the wings themselves were cut as if by scissors. In one of the attacks, the missile hit the cruiser's turret with a direct hit, but the ship, patched up once again, remained afloat.

November 21, 1952 the crew of Nikolsky made the launch of "Comet" with the staff BC. Target, marching at 18-knot speed, was found at a distance of 120 km, with the removal of 80 km while standing on the crosshead of Yalta, the crew made the launch, a direct hit sent the ship-target to the bottom.

In 1953, the missile system "Comet" was adopted for service. By the Decree of February 3, 1953 its creators were awarded the Stalin Prize.

With the death of Stalin and the arrest of L. P. Beria, his son and other leaders of KB-1 were removed from business. The leading role in the work on "Kometa" gradually moved to the Moscow region branch of the OKB-155 led by AY Bereznyak, where the mass production of missiles. On June 2, 1953 the plant No.1 was redirected to MAP, having received No.256 (later - PA "Rainbow"). Smolensk plant ¹475 (according to the MAP Order of April 25, 1955) also joined the serial production. Kazan Aircraft Plant ¹22 re-equipped several dozens of Tu-4s into carriers.

For the development of "Comet" in maritime aviation in June 1953 in the Crimea at the airfield Guards was formed a special training unit number 27 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Leonov. In December 1953, the crew made the first launch of the rocket "KS" on target - transport "Kursk". During the next two years of combat training the pilots of the unit made 18 launches, hitting targets in 14 of them. On the basis of the generalized experience, the unit headquarters prepared instruction on the combat activities of Tu-4KS aircraft.

Rocket weapons gave the maritime aviation qualitatively new possibilities - instructors characterized "Comet" as "long stick" of our fleet. The Directive of the GSH Navy of August 30, 1955 on the basis of the training unit in the aviation of the Black Sea Fleet was formed 124th TBASP long-range (since October 1957 - TMAP dd). In addition to 12 Tu-4KS and 8 Tu-4, it also had special simulators SF-5 based on MiG-17, equipped with guidance equipment "K-1". They were used instead of combat missiles for training of carrier crews. A similar missile equipment allowed to practice the attack in almost all modes, including homing, which allowed to save combat "Comet" and made it possible to analyze the operation of the complex according to the data of the aircraft simulator's onboard CAP. Later, there were more advanced KFOR-7 and KFOR-15 aircraft of the same purpose.

Further development of the Comet system was the Tu-16KS aircraft and missile complex. To do this, the Tu-16 was installed missile guidance equipment, worked out on the Tu-4KS. Improved the wing, placing on it beam holders BD-187 and the fuel system of the rocket. Since the place in the germ cockpits of the aircraft for the operator to point the missile was not found, then his cabin with a life support system is located in the cargo hold, fixed to the beams. The range of Tu-16KS with two missiles at maximum takeoff weight of 72000kg did not exceed 3135-3560km. Flight height of the carrier and its speed during the launch of the KS were originally within the range of 4000-4500m (later up to 7000m) and 370-420 km / h. The launch vehicle radar detected targets at a distance of 140-180 km, and the missile was launched at a range of 90-70 km. At the end of 1950s, after modification of the system, the launch range was brought to 130 km.

Tu-16KS tests began in 1954. The following year, the new complex was adopted for service. The first TU-16KS entered the Navy in late 1957, in the 124th Mine-Torpedoon Air Regiment (MTAP) of the Black Sea Fleet. The 124th MTAP included 12 TU-16KS, six TU-16ZSch tankers and a TU-16PS jammer. Then the 5th MTAP of the Black Sea Fleet was re-equipped with Tu-16KS missile carriers, and in 1958 the complexes started to arrive to the Northern and Pacific Fleets. By the end of the 1950s, 90 Tu-16KS complexes were in service with five MTAPs.

In 1957-58, a number of improvements were made to the missile system. Stock of fuel "KS" increased, increasing the range up to 130 km, achieved reliable launch to a height of 7000 m by raising the fuel pressure in front of the nozzles, and was able to perform the launch to a height of 10,000 m. An aeroid altimeter added a more accurate radio altimeter. For easy storage and transportation, the wing arms were made foldable. As a result of the operation, the units and waveguides of the guidance system were heated, eliminating the appearance of condensation, freezing and malfunctions for this reason. Optimizing the trajectory of the missile flight, modified the autopilot, providing an opportunity to launch from low altitudes - up to 2000 m.

The possibility of multiple launch of two missiles by one carrier was provided by their successive introduction into the beam of the radar and simultaneous guidance (the first such launch was carried out in early 1958, the crew of the commander of the 5th MTAP V. Dubina). Increasing the number of missiles in the attack, worked out the guidance of three missiles at once one airplane with launches from the combat order "column" squad Tu-16KS. Launches were carried out at intervals of 15-20 seconds. coming on command of the leading missile took his operator to escort him.

High-altitude launches proved to be tactically unprofitable - the plane was coming out of the attack too close to the target, being at risk of air defense defeat. By calculation, when launched from a distance of 90 km and an altitude of 10,000 m aircraft at the time of hitting the missile was 24 km from the target, while at launch from the same range, but from a height of 2000 m Tu-16 out of attack in 43 km from the target. Low-altitude launch increased the tactical surprise, providing a covert exit into the attack, and the probability of defeat at launch from 2000 m gave normal results - 2/3 of the missiles hit the target (ie, launching a pair of missiles guaranteed the solution to the problem).

Serious counteraction could have been provided by the opponent's REB, which prompted new modifications to the system. Since 1961, the missiles were equipped with interference-resistant blocks of equipment, which not only increased their protection from the means of airborne radar, but also reduced the sensitivity to mutual interference radars of their own aircraft, disrupted the synchronization of K-1M. For the test conducted 8 launches of KC-1 from aircraft, whose stations worked on one frequency, and 6 missiles accurately hit the target. Positive results were also obtained in the group attack of missile carriers from six different directions, which fired missiles in less than a minute. All this enabled the missiles to master the group application by massaging their number and launching a starburst from different angles.

Five missiles were assembled with thermal GSN "Sputnik-2", but were not adopted for service - the ship, as a heat emitting object, was a low-profile target, and this direction has not received development.

In the Navy, the successful and well-developed missile system "Comet" remained in service for almost a decade and a half - until the end of 60s, when it was replaced by more modern systems. Being in service Tu-16KS were re-equipped for new complexes: so, since 1962, 65 machines were modified for the missile system K-11-16.

 Tu-16KS was supplied to Indonesia, where 25 aircraft arrived in the summer of 1961, as well as Egypt, where they were equipped with two squadrons. There is no reliable information about any cases of combat use of the Comet there, although the appearance of Indonesian missile carriers was observed near the British military base in Singapore.

Tu-16KS did not manage to participate in real hostilities, but some of them were delivered to Indonesia and the OAR.